Listen to the marmot – new ads ask drivers to keep Washington litter-free
38 million pounds of litter is dropped on Washington roads each year
OLYMPIA – This March, Washington is rolling out new commercials as part of the We Keep
WA Litter Free campaign, reminding residents that preventing litter starts with everyday
choices and that keeping our state clean takes all of us.
The Washington Department of Ecology’s new ads focus on the split-second decision
people make when they’re about to litter, especially when no one else is around. The
commercials feature a marmot puppet that plays the part of our conscience, turning that
inner voice into something you can actually see.
The marmot, Washington’s official endemic mammal, shows up in those everyday
moments to deliver a simple message: littering is still a choice, even when no one is
watching.
“To change behavior, we have to reach people before litter hits the ground,” said Amber
Smith Ecology’s statewide litter prevention coordinator. “This campaign brings those
everyday moments to life and reminds us to listen to that inner voice that tells us to do the
right thing. Even when no one else is around, our choices matter. Small decisions each day
add up to a cleaner state we can all be proud to call home.”
Washington addresses litter in two ways: prevention and pickup. Although picking up litter
seems like the most direct way to tackle litter, Ecology’s Smith says that this isn’t a
problem we can fix on the side of the road.
In 2025, Ecology and WSDOT invested more than $17 million in litter cleanup efforts
statewide. While 2025 collection totals are still being finalized, in 2024 paid crews and
volunteers removed more than 6.2 million pounds of litter and cleaned over 19,000 miles
of roadway.
The pickup numbers are big, but they’re still just a fraction of the 38 million pounds that
gets littered each year along roads and in public areas. That’s about 5 pounds of litter for
every single resident of our state.
“Our litter crews and volunteers work hard to keep our roads clean, but we need every
driver and every passenger to do their part – we all have a role to play in protecting our
state’s natural beauty and environment,” Smith said.
A 2022 statewide litter study found the most commonly littered items in Washington
include cigarette butts, food wrappers and snack bags, glass bottles, and construction and
demolition debris. The state plans to conduct a new litter study in 2026 to measure
progress and guide future prevention and cleanup efforts.
The campaign includes partnerships with minor league baseball teams, including the
Spokane Indians, Everett AquaSox, and Tri-City Dust Devils. Fans at select games this
spring can take home a free reusable car litter bag. Keeping a bag in your car is a simple
tool to prevent trash from building up in vehicles and ending up alongside roadways.
To learn more about this campaign, visit LitterFreeWA.org or PorUnWAImpecable.org.
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